Welcome to Fire Masters...
...where three chefs will take on three blazing culinary challenges.
[Samantha Pelayo] Whoo, hot.
[Dylan Benoit] Two will be eliminated,
and the last chef standing will go head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges,
battling for the chance to win $10,000...
Ooh, baby, let's go!
...and to earn their place as a Fire Masters champion.
Oh, my God!
That hint of smoke in there set off the whole dish.
-[Dylan] Speed... -Push, push, push!
-[Dylan] ...skill... -You guys hot yet?
[Dylan] ...scorching competition.
This is way harder than I thought.
You can't handle it, get out.
This is Fire Masters.
Three chefs think they can take the heat
and battle to become the nex Fire Masters champion.
Let's meet them.
First up, Gabriell Cruz from Hamilton, Ontario.
I am the chef operator of Pamana Kitchen,
a Filipino pop-up restaurant
Filipino food, for me, screams comfort food,
something I grew up with, and it's very comforting to me.
I've been itching to cook all day.
I'm very competitive, very competitive. Yeah.
Hello, chefs.
Next, Samantha Pelayo from Monterey, California.
My background is Mexican, Spanish.
I'm a little French, I'm a little bit of Italian.
It's a very tasty combo.
I never went to culinary school,
I just watched culinary competitions.
I was passionate, and I knew what I wanted, so I went for it.
The adrenaline is pumping. I've wanted this since I was nine years old.
I'm here to win.
Hi, chefs. [laughs]
And last, Josh Gale from Vancouver, British Columbia.
I've been cooking for the last 10 years.
I've run some of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
I was a private chef to my boy,
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, let's go.
I go camping in the wilderness in BC all the time,
cook over fire, cook over coal, cook over embers.
What I love about cooking with fire is that it is wild,
just imparts so much flavor, so much attitude,
and my food is all about attitude,
and that's what I'm bringing today.
Hi, chefs.
Chefs, welcome to Fire Masters.
-[exclaiming] -Let's go, let's go.
Here's how it's all going down.
There will be three rounds of competition.
In the first two rounds, you will be competing against one another.
After each of these rounds, one of you will be going home.
In the third and final round,
the last chef standing will go head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges,
for the chance to win $10,000
and the title of today's Fire Masters champion.
Speaking of judges, here's who you'll need to impress.
Chef Kevin Bludso is an award-winning pitmaste and cookbook author
and is the owner of the popular Bludso's barbecue
with locations worldwide.
Good luck, chefs.
Thank you, chef.
[Dylan] Chef Andrea Nicholso
Chef Andrea is chef-owner of Butchie's restaurant,
Banana's dessert shop, and the culinary event space, Dish Play.
Bring your A-game today.
[Dylan] Nicole Gomes is an award-winning chef
and the owner of the renowne Cluck N Cleaver restaurant in Calgary, Alberta.
I look forward to tasting your food today.
Yes, chef.
I hope you're ready for some fierce competition
'cause it's time for your first trial by fire.
In this first Wildfire round, you'll create a dish
that showcases who you are as a chef.
You will each have your own top-of-the-line grill station
and use of our Fire Masters fire pit,
as well as access to our fully-stocked pantry
You dish will be judged on presentation, creativity, and taste.
You've got 30 minutes on the clock.
And your time starts...
...now.
-[judges cheering] -[Kevin Bludso] Let's go, chefs! Let's go!
I am hyped, I am riddled with adrenaline,
and I am just ready to go.
The meat! The meat!
For my signature dish, I am making
carne asada tacos with a roasted tomatillo salsa
and some pico de gallo.
I chose this dish because tacos are fun!
The plan is I'm gonna have to peel these tomatillos,
I'm gonna put them in the charcoal.
I wanna start my roasted tomatillo salsa,
so I put everything in the fire pit.
Onions and serranoes.
[Gabriell Cruz] Today, I'm making
a Filipino barbecue dish called inasal.
Inasal is a traditional Filipino barbecue dish,
chicken that's been marinate and grilled over charcoal.
But I'll be using quail instead of chicken.
Quail cooks quickly and is really good on the barbecue.
I'm gonna make the marinade and get the sauce on first.
So I'm gonna blend ginger, garlic, lemongrass, shallot
some vinegar and sugar.
Chef Gabriell, how you doing?
-I'm good. I'm good. -What's gonna be the biggest challenge?
Uh, the biggest challenge is getting the flavors.
Inasal takes overnight to marinade.
But for this one, I'm gonna have to do it in 30 minutes.
-Well, chef, you got lots to do in the next 25 minutes. -Yeah, I do.
-[laughing] I'm gonna leave you to it. -Yeah, thank you so much.
I'm most worried about the seasoning in my dish.
So I take half my marinade
and cook it into the sauce to fortify the flavor.
For the Wildfire round, I'm making blackened halibut
with a smoked butter hollandaise,
with a burned leek puree and charred fennel slaw.
Let's go, baby.
The leek puree's gonna be the base for my plate.
First thing's first, I gotta burn my leeks.
I am just gonna let them smolder.
Next, I'm taking these beautiful heads of fennel
and putting them on the cast iron bars.
Whoo! It's smokey, baby.
I feel right in my element here in the Fire Masters arena.
-You guys hot yet? -She is a sweaty Betty.
-But you know what they say? -What do they say, Samantha?
[Samantha] You can't handle it, get out.
[Josh Gale laughing] I ain't getting out of this kitchen.
[Samantha laughing]
Judges, our Wildfire round is well underway.
These chefs are hustling dow in the Fire Masters aren
And they're not playing this safe whatsoever.
I mean, all three of them are doing very complex dishes.
I'm gonna go on the tortillas.
I love chef Samantha's energy.
She's making tortillas from scratch.
-From scratch. -Clearly, she's in the zone.
[Samantha] I'm using masa harina AP flour
and a little bit of salt and mixed it up with some water.
All right.
Here to make my mom proud and show my heritage.
They look good.
I start with the flank stea
by seasoning it with oil, salt, pepper.
I'm gonna add some cumin and some Mexican chili powder.
I don't want to cook it too much,
but I do want to get it on the fire.
We are halfway through the cook,
only 15 minutes left!
So I butchered my quail, and now, they're going to marinade.
I love quails, they're great on a grill, searing off the skin.
However, I am concerned with chef Gabriell
-because they still have not touched any heat... -[Gabriell] It's hot.
...and the clock is ticking.
[Gabriell] Come on, come on, come on.
I start the quail on the charcoal grill,
just to impart some of that flavor.
Next, I'm gonna cut the cabbage in half,
and I'm gonna throw it into the pit
because I really want to ge a good char on it.
Then I start my char up.
I have sugar, vinegar, and a little bit of green chili.
And I'm putting papaya, carrots, and shallots in this liquid.
You got this.
[Josh] I'm grabbing the pecan wood chips.
I'm gonna load them into the charcoal smoker.
I'm smoking my butter for my hollandaise.
I just wanna lace that butte with as much nutty, smokey flavor as I can get.
Halibut's lean, hollandaise is fatty,
it is gonna be a perfect combo.
[Dylan] Chef Josh, what's the plan with the halibut?
[Josh] Uh, I'm gonna blacken it.
Why is this the dish that you chose
to be your signature dish?
This is the dish that I've been making for my friends,
and every time we get together, this is the request.
Well, chef, let's see what you can do.
[Josh] I've got smoked paprika, garlic, onio
thyme, oregano, salt, pepper
I'm gonna cover my fish and get this into a hot cast iron pan,
so it gets caramelized, black, and delicious.
10 minutes left in the cook.
[Samantha] Heard!
I go and check on my flank steak.
She's ready.
I'm gonna let it rest.
I take my roasted tomatillos my serranoes, my onions...
Ooh, hot.
...throw them in the food processor
to start making my roasted tomatillo salsa.
And then you just add garlic and cilantro.
[Josh] I'm taking these beautiful heads of fennel,
I'm gonna dice them up really fine,
I'm gonna toss them with some salt, some pepper a whole bunch of lemon juice
and add them as a little side slaw
to bring some crunch into my dish.
I pulled the leeks out of the embers.
They are charred, they're soft, they're ready to go.
I stripped the burned outsid I'm gonna puree them
with just a little bit of butter, a little bit of veg stock.
And just have a really nice charred leek puree on the plate.
Ooh, baby! This is a race to the finish, let's go.
[Gabriell] I'm taking the charred cabbage,
and then, uh, just gonna marinate it
in a little bit of soy calamansi juice.
Calamansi is a native Filipino citrus fruit.
It's like a cross between an orange and a cumquat.
And then this will go on the plate.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Then I take the quail of the charcoal grill
and then move it onto the fire pit
to get a better char.
Guys, five minutes, okay?
[Dylan] Let's go guys, food on plates.
[Gabriell] With five minutes left, I have to start plating,
but my quail needs a little bit more time.
I'm a little bit concerned about the quail.
I know that I saw it go on a little bit late.
Quail is very unforgiving, and when it's raw
it's almost inedible, you can't eat it.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Quail is very unforgiving,
so I'm very, very concerned about that.
[Gabriell] There's less than five minutes left.
I have no choice but to keep the quail on.
Time is not my friend.
-Four minutes. -Four minutes left!
I grab my flank steak, I start slicing,
and the temperature is perfect.
The cook on the meat is perfect!
On to my pico de gallo.
I'm dicing my red onions, my tomatoes, my garlic,
and I add a little bit of parsley to it,
mix it up, and [imitates explosion].
Mmm. I'm gonna start plating.
Behind, behind.
[Josh] So it's time to start plating.
First thing that goes down is my leek sauce.
After that, I take the halibut off the grill.
It is perfectly cooked.
I'm having a great time!
I'm gonna finish my hollandaise.
Kill it. Kill it.
So I pour out my smoked butt into a colander
and emulsify it with some egg yolks,
a tiny bit of Dijon, and just a little bit of lemon juice.
I love the flavor of smoke. I love the flavor of char,
and I'm making sure that I get it in every single layer on my plate.
This tastes so good. This reminds me of camping right here.
Chefs, one minute left! This is it!
-[Kevin] Let's go chefs! Let's go -[Nicole] Come on, guys.
-[judges clapping] -[Samantha] Push, push, push!
[Gabriell] I have no choice but to take the quail off the heat.
30 minutes goes by so fast.
This is way harder than I thought.
[judges] Ten, nine, eight
seven, six, five, four
three, two, one!
-[Dylan] Time's up, chefs! -[Nicole] Wow!
-Good job! -[Andrea Nicholson] Whoo!
Whoo!
[Josh] I'm really happy with my dish,
but I look over at Samantha's dish,
it looks banging.
So it's definitely got me just a little bit worried.
[Samantha] This is a dish I would love to eat,
and I feel proud that I did that in 30 minutes.
[Gabriell] I feel like it could be a winning dish,
but please, please, I hope this quail is cooked.
Hi.
Chef Gabriell, how are you?
Uh, nervous now.
-Shake it off, buddy. Shake it off. -Yeah, okay.
[Gabriell] So what you have in front of you
is quail inasal with grilled cabbage
and atchara, which is pickled papaya, carrots, shallots.
Just looking right at the plate,
I love the grill marks on your quail.
You think you got the right cook on that.
I think so, yeah.
[Nicole] Chef Gabriell, my quail in particular
-was a little bit on the more medium-rare side in the leg. -Yeah, okay.
[Nicole] The breast was medium.
So I would suggest maybe separating the breast
-from the leg. -From the leg.
In regards to the atchara,
-you're too restrained on your seasoning. -Okay.
-Bring it. -Will do.
I love the juxtaposition of salty, sour, sweet
-that you achieved in this dish. -Okay.
However, I am missing a bit more spice.
-Don't be shy to bring the heat. -Okay.
-Chef Gabriell, thank you very much. -Thank you.
[Gabriell] I'm most worried about the seasoning in my dish.
I kinda wish I could've done more.
[Dylan] Chef Samantha, can you please tell us
what you made for the judges in this round.
For the judges today, I made delicious carne asada tacos
with some roasted tomatillo salsa and some pico de gallo in there.
The presentation of your dish looks bright and colorful.
I think there's some room for refinement.
Like a thinner tortilla, or maybe a little bit finer chop on all your vegetables.
-Okay. -I'm going dirty.
Get in there with your hands.
Chef Samantha, I love the masa shell.
I do agree with chef Nicole
- that it's a little bit too thick. - [Samantha] Mmm-hmm.
But it's not overly chewy, and it's still quite soft,
and your tomatillo salsa was just an added little kic
I do want to talk though
-about how clunky everything is. -Mmm-hmm.
Eating very large cloves of garlic
-really throw off your entire palette. -[Samantha] Okay
Thank you, chef.
Chef Samantha, your carne asada,
perfect cook on it for medium rare.
-I would just slice it a little bit thinner. -Thank you.
-Chef Samantha, thank you very much. -Thank you, chefs.
[Samantha] I'm a little bit worried that my cuts weren't
as precise as they could've been.
Hi, chefs.
Chef, please tell the judges what you prepared for them.
Today, we've got a piece of blackened halibut,
napped with a little bit of smoked hollandaise.
There's a burnt leek sauce on the bottom
and a blackened fennel salad on the side.
Hope you enjoy.
Chef Josh, I've never had smoked hollandaise sauce.
That hint of smoke in there just set off the whole dish.
On the, uh, halibut maybe just a little over,
but that blacken that you got it and the flavor of it,
that saves it with me.
Thank you so much, chef.
I find halibut is a very lean fish.
It was wise of you to add a smoked hollandaise 'cause it needs the fat.
I'm not a huge fan of leek ash,
but you did it without making it too charred.
However, the fennel is a little clunky.
Thank you very much, chef, and thank you, chefs.
Let's give the judges a couple minutes to discuss,
-and we'll call you back when we're ready. -Thank you, chefs.
It's super intimidating having chefs at these caliber judging my food.
I don't know where I stand.
Okay judges, the Wildfire round
is complete. How did they do?
Chef Gabriell's quail dish, I wanted more spice,
I wanted more of his personality on a plate.
I think the flavor was there.
I was happy with the char on chef Gabriell's quail.
I was really surprised to see that
because I really thought he got it on too late.
Let's talk about chef Samantha's tacos.
Overall, I thought they were good.
Perfect medium rare cook, I like the flavor on it.
As far as appearance, she made a few mistakes.
It was so rough.
And eating a half clove of garlic,
I think we need to dock her points for that.
What were your thoughts on chef Josh's halibut dish?
[Andrea] Kudos for making a hollandaise in the Fire Masters aren
Soon as I ate it and tasted that smoke,
I was about to put my fork down and say,
"I'm cool with just eating that."
There were some errors in his dish.
I didn't love the fennel.
However, he really utilized all the elements of the Fire Masters arena.
Well, our first Wildfire round was a tight race,
but it seems like you've made a decision.
-Yeah. -Yes.
-Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this Wildfire round,
you were asked to create a signature dish
that showcases who you are on a plate.
Judges, who's signature dish was the best in this round?
The chef with the best dish is...
...chef Josh.
[exhales sharply]
[all applauding]
[Dylan] Congratulations, chef Josh.
You will have an advantage heading into the next round.
Wow.
Judges.
It's down to chef Samantha and chef Gabriell.
Tell us, who will you be sending home?
My food has love in it. I am not gonna lose this competition.
I'm feeling a little nervous. It's up to the judges.
The chef who will be going home is...
It's down to chef Samantha, with her carne asada taco with tomatillo salsa,
and chef Gabriell, with his quail inasal.
Judges tell us, who will you be sending home?
The chef who will be going home is...
...chef Gabriell.
Good luck, man.
Chef Gabriell, I'm sorry to say
you've been eliminated from the competition.
It's time to leave the Fire Masters arena.
[Gabriell] See you, guys, good luck,
[all applauding]
[Gabriell] It's tough, but I had a lot of fun competing today.
And the best thing about cooking
is always learning and always evolving.
Chefs, welcome to the Crossfire round.
This round is a head-to-head battle,
where you'll both be cooking with the same protein.
Ready to see what's inside?
-Yes. -Yes, chef.
Get ready for...
...tuna loin.
-Yes! Oh! -Mmm. Let's go.
[Dylan] Each of you must create a tuna loin dish
that features a different ingredient.
Now, chef Josh as the winner of the first round,
you get to decide whether you'd like
to incorporate watermelon in your dish
or pass that off to chef Samantha
and take a chance with what's under the crate.
Whoa.
[Samantha] I have my eyes on that watermelon.
Do not pick that watermelon.
Let's roll the dice, baby, let's go.
-Let's see what's under that crate. -[Kevin laughing]
Okay, chef Josh, you'll be cooking with...
...fresh wasabi.
[laughing] Sick!
Here we go.
[Josh] Fresh wasabi is a lot milder, it's cleane
than the typical wasabi that you get with sushi.
That's what I'm talking about.
I am so stoked.
Which means chef Samantha, you'll be cooking with watermelon.
-Perfect. -Chefs, you've got 30 minutes back on the clock.
And your time starts...
...now
-[Kevin] Let's go, chefs! -[Andrea] Let's go!
[Samantha] I'm so happy I made it to the Crossfire round,
but also, I know that I have to stay on my toes and think quick.
Beautiful.
I am making seared sesame tuna
with grilled watermelon.
Nice.
The first thing on my mind is grilled watermelon,
give it that beautiful char
I want the sugars of the fruit to caramelize.
[Josh] Ooh, she hot.
I'm from the west coast, I cook with tuna,
I've had it on a million menus.
I cannot wait to get my hands on this fish.
I'm gonna do a wasabi-cruste seared tuna loin
with a charred jalapeno crem
charcoal mayonnaise, roasted broccolini,
and a wasabi oil.
I'm breaking down my broccoli to get it on the smoker.
I wanna get some nice char and just make sure that broccoli is delicious.
I really wanna highlight wasabi.
So I'm gonna make a wasabi oil.
I'm literally just blending oil and wasabi.
Judges, we are in the heat of the Crossfire round,
and we've got two tuna loin dishes coming our way.
One featuring watermelon,
and one featuring fresh wasabi.
I think chef Josh has a little bit of an upper hand
because wasabi is such an elevator to tuna.
-It gives it a little spice, a little kick. -Whoo!
There's nothing that says summer to me
like fresh watermelon.
And then when you throw it on a grill,
it can add so much flavor.
Watermelon takes on smoke real good,
but you can over smoke it real quick.
And if you let all that water drain out,
it's one of the most mushy-est horrible-est things you ever wanna eat.
Beautiful.
It'll be interesting to see how it all comes together.
[Samantha] I'm gonna do thinly sliced watermelon pee
and I'm gonna pickle it in some apple cider vinegar.
I have to highlight watermelon,
so I'm trying to use it in every way that I can.
Mmm.
Chef Samantha, talk to me about the overall concept of the dish.
I wanna make a nice salad.
So a nice, fresh salad with some seared tuna,
-that's kinda the idea? -[Samantha] Yeah.
[Dylan] And what's your biggest concern?
I don't have a concern right now, I'm pretty good.
-You're cruising? -[Samantha] I'm cruising.
I just... I love cooking.
You can cure someone's broken heart.
You can make someone feel better with a good dish.
Sounds great, chef, looking forward to seeing it.
Thank you, chef.
[Josh] I wanna make sure that I have as much
smoke flavor as possible on that piece of fish.
So I'm starting on my charcoal oil,
and that is gonna dress my tuna.
Oh, my God!
Chef Josh took a chunk of charcoal from the firepit,
and threw it into a bowl of oil,
which immediately caught on fire.
That's a technique I've never seen before.
[Josh] I've got egg yolks, I'm just gonna slowly pour i
my infused oil, blend it, make sure it emulsifies.
It's a super cool way to infuse a whole bunch
of charcoal flavor into the dish.
Next, I pull the jalapenos of the grill.
They're nicely charred.
They're going into a really sweet and spicy crema.
So I drop them in the blende with a little bit of mayo,
a little bit of honey, some green onion.
Good sauce on a dish is everything.
15 minutes left! We are halfway through!
[Samantha] To prep the tuna loin,
I just start rolling it in the sesame seed to develop a crust
and just throw it on the hot cast iron with some oil.
[Andrea] I'm concerned with chef Samantha
because she took that massive loin,
covered it in sesame seeds.
Tuna loins have a belly and a bloodline,
and I don't believe she butchered her tuna.
However, chef Josh is taking that massive tuna loin
and cutting it down into manageable-sized pieces.
[Josh] I'm gonna knock off the belly
and break my tuna into two really nice loins.
I crust it with some wasabi powder, salt, pepper
I think the biggest risk that I'm taking in this round
is actually chucking this tuna in those coals for about a minute.
I want them to get some smoke, some flavor.
It is like a million degrees, but I just go for it.
Chef Josh just put his tuna loin right into the firepit.
One of the great things about tuna as a protein
is you barely need to cook it.
Two seconds on there, raw tuna can get well done real quick.
I pull my tuna off the embers, and I'm a little worried that it might overcook.
I run to the blast chiller
to make sure that I stop the cooking.
Otherwise the heat from the outside of the tun
is just gonna cook it all the way through, and it's gonna be gone.
He had one shot at the title. I hope he didn't mess it up.
A little piece of this
I feel that my charred watermelon is ready to go,
so I take it off and chop it up.
The goal is to use this as, like, the bed.
Next, in the blender, I'm throwing
some of the grilled watermelon, a little bit of ginger
a little bit of lime juice, oil, salt and pepper.
The intention of this charred watermelon puree
is to show the judges that I can make
different components using the same ingredient.
Mmm. Seven minutes!
[Josh] Seven minutes, yo.
I'm finishing my broccoli. I'm using soy and maple.
Maple is such a Canadian ingredient,
and the soy sauce is just such a perfect pairing with the tuna.
Next, I pull the tuna out of the blast chiller...
We're chilling, baby.
...and slice into it.
Look at that, perfect.
It is charred evenly on the outside.
It's still rare on the inside.
So happy.
[Dylan] Only five minutes remaining!
[Kevin] Let's go, chefs!
-[Andrea] Come on, guys! -[Nicole] Come on!
[Samantha] I take my tuna of
and I want a specific triangle shape,
so I cut the tuna in half and then started slicing it from there.
I'm gonna start plating my dish.
I start to season the tuna with the fleur de sel and togarashi.
Togarashi, yes.
Togarashi is a seven spice blend
that brings heat and spice to the dish.
It's very umami.
Only two minutes, this is it!
[Josh] Let's go, baby, food on plate.
The last thing I wanna do
is give this dish some extra punch
with some fresh, grated wasabi.
1:11 left.
1:11.
I'm grating the wasabi, my hand slips
and just runs down the zester.
Looks like chef Josh has cut himself grating the fresh wasabi.
[Josh] This was not part of the gameplan.
Looks like chef Josh has cut himself grating the fresh wasabi.
30 seconds!
[Josh] First thing I do is grab a glove.
Food safety is super important,
but I've only got a few seconds to finish.
Ooh, let's not do this again.
[judges] Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two,
-one! -Times up, chefs!
-[all applauding] -Nice work, nice work!
[Nicole] Way to hustle.
[sighs]
I'm feeling proud.
I seasoned my fish pretty well.
I put great components on the dish.
[Josh] I look down at my dis It looks amazing.
The only thing I really wanted to get on the plate
was some smoked maldon salt,
and I just missed it in the last second.
Chef Josh, please tell the judges what you made,
using tuna loin and fresh wasabi.
Chefs, I made for you a wasabi-crusted tuna with charcoal mayo,
a charred jalapeno crema with roasted smoked broccoli
and a little bit of wasabi oil as well to dress everything.
I was very interested by your method of putting the tuna in the fire,
and I was concerned that it might be overcooked.
It's not.
Chef Josh, I wish there was a little bit more
of a char on the outside of your tuna,
just to give a little more contrast when I'm eating it.
And it's also missing a little bit of salt,
a little bit of finishing salt would have really elevated it.
-You encrusted the tuna with wasabi powder? -Yeah.
Unfortunately, all I'm tasting is jalapeno.
I think you nailed that jalapeno crema,
and it was delicious, but it wasn't wasabi.
As for the charcoal mayo, it's unfortunately leaving
a really unpleasant taste on my palette.
Yes, chef.
Chef Andrea is right, but that broccoli,
I can taste the fire, I can taste the char on it,
-and you got it home on that. -Thank you.
-Chef, thank you very much. -Thank you, chef.
[Josh] My biggest worry right now
is that I just didn't highlight wasabi enough in my dish.
[Dylan] Hey, chef Samantha, please tell us what you made
for the judges using tuna loin and watermelon.
[Samantha] Today, I made seared sesame tuna with grilled watermelon,
as well as grilled watermelon puree,
pickled watermelon, and togarashi on top of the fish.
I love the color. You put watermelon all the way through it.
-I can't wait to taste it. -Thank you, chef.
Chef Samantha, you have so many elements of watermelon,
but I'm not really getting watermelon.
I think the way you handled the watermelon
made it a little bit mushy.
In regards to the tuna, as you cut it in half
you took away that beautiful sear that was on one side.
[Nicole] I definitely agree with you Andrea,
but I love the fact that you thought about all those combinations
that work together in an Asian-inspired way,
with all the notes of, like, togarashi, pickled ginger,
but if you do move forward, I would really concentrate
-on making the two highlighted ingredients shine. -Okay.
-Chef, thank you very much. -Thank you, chef.
And thank you very much,
Let's give the judges a couple minutes
to discuss what they've tasted.
-We'll call you back when we're ready. -Okay, thank you, guys.
The watermelon was overcooked.
At this point, it's all up to the judges.
All right, judges, our crossfire round is complete,
and we had tuna loin on the menu.
One of the chefs highlighting watermelon in their dish,
the other using fresh wasabi.
Chef Josh got wasabi, such an intense root,
but unfortunately, there was no wasabi evident on his plate at all
and the heat came from jalapenos.
And then that charcoal mayo, that was inedible.
The only time I finally got back right is when I ate the broccoli
because it was charred and it put you right back on the same track.
Nicole, how do you feel that chef Sam handled her watermelon?
It was very colorful,
but the watermelon kinda got muddled.
She overcooked that watermelon and took away from that bright juicy fruit.
Andrea, let's look at how these chefs handled their tuna.
That's a difficult piece to judge as well
because here we have chef Josh,
who understood the butchery of that loin,
applied it to the fire, but there was no flavor on it.
I was really surprised, but it was, it was just bland.
And then you have chef Samantha,
who took that big loin but then hacked it
and took away all that crust she took time in the cast iron to build.
But I think chef Samantha's tuna had seasoning.
-The togarashi gave it a little bit of spice. -Mmm-hmm.
Both of these chefs were strong in the first round
but had a bit of a stumble here in the second.
It's a difficult call, but have you come to a conclusion?
Yeah.
-Yes. -Yes.
Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this Crossfire round,
you were asked to cook with tuna loin
and either watermelon or fresh wasabi.
The winner of this round will receive a Napoleon portable grill
and move on to the final rou
to face off against one of our judges.
Judges, please tell us
who will be moving on to the final round?
The chef who will be moving on to the final round is...
...chef Samantha.
-[Josh] Oh. -[all applauding]
[Dylan] Congratulations, chef Samantha,
you've won a portable grill
and you're moving on to the final round.
Oh, my God.
As a kid, I watched food competitions
and, like, envisioned myself in this.
So to be in it is, like, surreal.
Thank you guys so much, thank you.
-You deserve it, girl. -Wow.
Chef Josh, thank you so much.
It's clear you're a talented and ambitious chef.
Unfortunately, you've been eliminated from the competition,
and it's time to leave the Fire Masters arena.
Chefs, thank you so much for having me today,
a day I'm never gonna forget.
I'm feeling pretty good.
I'm going home, but I did everything I came here to do
I showed the judges who I am I used every piece of that arena.
Let's go.
Chef Samantha, in the first two rounds,
you displayed grace under fire,
but now, it's time to turn up the heat.
Let's go.
In this final round, you'll be going head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges.
And the judge you'll be facing off against is...
...chef Nicole Gomes.
-Yes! -[Kevin] Oh, Nicole.
-[laughing] -Go get 'em, partner.
I am nervous because she is a very, very talented chef.
-Congratulations. You got this. -Thank you, chef. Thank you.
But I got this.
Chef Samantha has put up really beautiful plates,
and she's really passionate. This is gonna be a tough battle.
Chef Samantha and chef Nicole,
you're about to face off in the Feast of Fire.
Chefs, in this final round,
you must create a family-style feast
inspired by the theme...
...beef lover's banquet.
Yes.
[exclaiming]
[Dylan] We've rounded up some flavorful cuts
from our friends at Certified Angus Beef
that you'll both use to create a delicious meal
made for beef lovers.
Awesome.
The stakes have never been higher.
So you'll each have a sous-chef
to help you create your feast.
-[Nicole exclaiming] -[Dylan] This meal will be tasted blind,
which means none of us will be here to watch you cook.
However, when we do return,
I'll be taking chef Nicole's seat at the judges table.
But chefs, before you get started,
I've got a hot twist for you.
Oof.
At the fire pit, there are two stands.
Choose a stand, and spin the arrow twice
to determine which two cuts of Certified Angus Beef
you must use in your feast.
You've got 45 minutes on the clock.
And your time starts...
...now.
[Andrea] I'm so excited for this challenge.
How lucky can she be tonight?
I have no idea what we're gonna be cooking,
and I just have to be ready to go.
Boneless ribeye, awesome.
[Nicole] Come on, baby.
I spin the arrow, and I get flank steak.
Flank steak!
And then I spin the arrow again.
Please, give me that.
Denver!
-What'd you get? -So I got boneless ribeye and hanger steak.
I'm ready to go. I'm ready.
[Nicole] Get our steaks!
There's so many different things you can do with steak,
especially when that beef is that high quality.
We're doing Asian.
Asian style, that's my favorite way to cook.
I just have to focus on beef.
Okay, this is a good start!
For my main, I'm making flank steak
with scallion pistou on grilled mushrooms.
For my first side, I'm gonna make
Vietnamese-style Denver steak carpaccio.
For my second side, I'm making sweet bean
grilled Japanese eggplant.
For my dessert, I'm making smoked stone fruit cobbler.
-Chef, how much of the wood? -[Nicole] Put it all in there.
We're gonna put the eggplant and the stone fruit
right on that grill, so it can smoke away.
Eggplant and stone fruit is on.
[sighs] Okay, breath.
Friends, its Feast of Fire time again,
and what an amazing barrel.
-I'm in beef heaven. -I was just gonna say that, Kev.
[all laughing]
[Dylan] Tonight, these chefs have two cuts
that they must incorporate into their feast.
Where could they trip up?
The right cut on the meat,
you know, against the grain, with the grain.
Exactly, and each cut is a different style of cookery.
So these chefs have to know what they're doing.
[Samantha] So I got the boneless ribeye,
and then I got a hanger steak.
we're gonna go a Moroccan-y route.
For my main, I'm making
boneless ribeye with Moroccan spices
For my side, it's gonna be
hanger steak with charred vegetables and pesto.
I'm just gonna do, like, a veggie platter with meat on top
My other side will be grilled roasted eggplant baba ghanoush.
For my dessert, I'm making spiced honey mascarpone
with roasted stone fruit.
Okay, let's start with the marinating of the meat.
For my ribeye, I'm using harissa, cumin,
garlic powder, a ton of different spices
to make it all fragrant and delicious.
Okay, I'm gonna go put these on.
-For you. -What a team, what a team.
[Nicole] I have a melange of like, Asian-style mushrooms
on the grill for the flank steak.
I gotta deal with the steak. The steak's the most important part.
I wanna go really natural
because this is really high quality beef,
and I don't think it needs a lot of work.
I use soy, salt, pepper, and Shaoxing wine.
We're just gonna put all the Asian flavors on this stuff, girl.
These are super simple Asian ingredients,
and I think it's gonna go great on the flank steak
And then I'm gonna finish the flank steak
with a little charred scallion pistou.
A pistou is basically pesto without nuts or cheese.
Okay, we have, um, 30 minutes.
I'm just cutting off a little bit of the thick fat.
I've never cooked with hanger steak,
but I feel excited to try something new.
I'm gonna put this in here with a little bit of harissa.
I add harissa, salt, pepper, olive oil.
Next, I'm gonna start working on my pesto,
which is gonna go on my hanger steak,
The pesto with the hanger steak is a great combination
because you get the spiciness from the steak
but also, you get the brightness from the basi
Looks so good.
-That one's done. See? -Yeah.
[Nicole] I have to start making my sweet bean glaze
for that eggplant.
I flavor the oil with Szechwan.
I have Szechwan peppercorn toasting in oil.
I'm gonna add garlic and ground bean sauce.
Okay, the ground bean sauce is on.
20 minutes, ladies!
[sous-chef 1] Oh, I'm gonna take the stone fruit off.
The stone fruit's looking pretty good.
I'm gonna put it into those cast irons
and then add the biscuit topping.
We're gonna need icing sugar to garnish this.
-[sous-chef 1] Okay. -FYI.
[Nicole] It's awesome to cook a cobbler in the Fire Masters aren
because if you can master that on a grill,
it shows some technique.
-Cobbler's on. -Beautiful.
[Samantha] I'm gonna take these off and let them rest.
I take my boneless ribeye and hanger steak off the grill.
Looks good, it's resting.
Time to blend up the eggplant for my baba ghanoush.
I'll put these babies in the blender.
Beautiful.
I just wanna add layers of flavor.
So we're mixing tahini-preserved lemon and mustard
into the baba ghanoush.
Next, I'm gonna start plating my ribeye.
Oh, this looks beautiful.
I'm using the roasted vegetables as the base,
and then I slice into my ribeye
and the disappointment.
It's overcooked.
Way more than I wanted.
This is a disaster.
Uh, it's cooked...
...way more than I wanted.
It's a meat lovers banquet, and I overcooked my ribeye.
This is a disaster, there's no time to make more steak.
I gotta put it on a plate.
I'm not happy about it, but I gotta send it out.
I've got, uh, a little nuoc cham.
For my Vietnamese-style Denver steak carpaccio,
I'm using fish sauce, garlic chili, lime juice,
a little bit of water to balance it out and palm sugar.
Okay.
I wanna show the judges with this dish
that it's a flavor bomb,
and it's not just a steak.
I need to get this steak on.
I wanna keep this quite simple,
Carpaccio is thin raw beef,
so I'm gonna just fire kiss it on that pit.
-Uh, we can start whisking the mascarpone... -[sous-chef 2] Okay.
...with the honey and the cinnamon.
For my dessert, my sous-chef and I
whisk the mascarpone with some cinnamon,
some clove, a little bit of honey, pistachios, almonds.
It's gonna bring some sweetness, some butteryness
to the roasted stone fruit.
Oh, my God. Yeah.
[Nicole] Five minutes!
I pull the Denver steaks off the fire pit.
I'm just gonna cut them super thin and put them right on that plate.
-Okay, that's good. -[sous-chef 1] Okay.
And then I drizzle over that nuoc cham,
sprinkle with peanuts and thinly, thinly sliced red onions.
That's very Vietnamese.
It's pretty hard to make four family-style dishes in 45 minutes.
-Okay, that's it. All the meat's done. -[sous-chef 2] Okay.
You have the meat on this side,
and you have the dessert on this side.
Ooh, hell yeah.
You have no time to think about anything else
you just have to focus on the components that you need.
Okay, we have two minutes.
[Nicole] Okay, girl, steak's coming at you!
I take the really well-reste flank steak
and give it a little kiss on that charcoal grill.
30 seconds!
Hustle!
[chefs] Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two,
-[Samantha] one. -[Nicole] and one!
[Samantha] Nice job, chef.
[Nicole sighs]
Looked down at my plate,
the cuts of beef that I got all look super beautiful and moist.
[Samantha] I'm feeling happy
but the ribeye is cooked way more than I intended it to be cooked.
Well, my friends, it's a beef lover's feast tonight.
And I know we've got three beef lovers at this table.
I am ready to get my beef on.
[Dylan] This chef had to coo
with flank steak and Denver steak,
and this first chef has prepared
flank steak, grilled mushroo and charred scallion pistou
Vietnamese-style Denver steak carpaccio,
sweet bean grilled Japanese eggplant,
and smoked stone fruit cobbler.
Let's not waste any more time.
-Let's do it. -Let's just do it.
-Carpaccio? -[Dylan] Please.
This charred flank steak is delicious.
Tons of umami flavor off these mushrooms
and the grilled scallion pistou,
and the cook on this steak is absolutely perfect.
This is so good.
Flank steak has to be a quick sear,
it has to be a good smoke.
This chef got it.
[Andrea] The show stopper for me though
is this Vietnamese carpaccio
so much fish sauce and lime juice and heat. It's genius.
[Kevin] I can still taste the steak
with all the rest of the beautiful flavors that are with this.
They did an excellent job.
I really like what the chef has done with the eggplant as well.
Almost creamy on the inside and then glazing it
with that really salty sweet glaze.
Delicious.
The only issue I have with this eggplant dish
is my particular piece wasn't quite cooked.
This one needed another minute on the grill.
Let's see what the chef has in store for us for dessert.
Let's do it.
[Dylan] For dessert, this first chef has prepare smoked stone fruit cobbler.
I'm definitely not getting any smoke flavor.
[Andrea] Yeah, I agree with you, Dylan,
and it's a little bit on the tart side.
Could've been a little bit sweeter but perfectly cooked.
I can give this chef a lot of props
for the cake topping
because cooking a cake inside of a barbecue
is not a simple task.
This first feast was a succulent and flavorful homage to beef.
Let's see what's up for round two.
Our second beef lover's feast has landed,
and it smells incredible.
This chef had to cook with boneless ribeye and hanger steak.
And this chef has prepared for us
boneless ribeye with Moroccan spices,
hanger steak with charred vegetables and pesto,
grilled fire roasted eggplant baba ghanoush
and spiced honey mascarpone with roasted stone fruits.
Ribeye is up there, easily is one of my favorite cuts of beef
And unfortunately, it looks like this chef
has overcooked this one pretty bad.
My ribeye is overcooked,
but going Moroccan style with it, which I love,
I think they were on the right track
because it's really flavorful.
I can definitely taste the Fire Masters arena on this hanger steak.
It's seared well on the outside.
It's got a ton of flavor.
I especially love the pesto.
It is so beautifully nutty,
the parmesan cheese really elevates the roasted peppers
and that was really a great accompaniment.
However, the baba ghanoush is missing tahini,
garlic, it's missing character.
It tastes like the flavor got loose from the baba ghanoush.
Another solid beef lover's feast,
and I've saved just enough room for some dessert.
Our final dish of the evening,
spiced honey mascarpone with roasted stone fruits.
The stone fruit's definitely been grilled.
I got some char on there,
and I really like the amoun of texture contrast that's in here.
I'm really digging the sweetness of that mascarpone.
[Andrea] This is really good really simple,
and a perfect way to end a meal.
I'm with it 100%.
It was a battle of the beef tonight in the Fire Masters arena.
Let's break this feast down dish-by-dish.
[Andrea] The first chef with the flank steak
and the mushrooms and the charred scallion pistou,
it was just right.
Whereas we had the second ch
presenting us that ribeye with Moroccan spice.
It's still really great developed flavors.
But they just totally missed the mark on the cook.
[Dylan] Let's take a look at the sides.
I think the second chef nailed the cook on their hanger steak.
However, it's really hard to compare against that Denver carpaccio.
-[Andrea] I could eat that carpaccio all day long -[Kevin] Yeah.
Show stopper for me.
The next sides are head to head eggplant.
The soy glazed eggplant were dynamite.
And I love the idea of the second chef's smoked baba ghanoush.
-[Andrea] Mmm-hmm. -[Dylan] Just missed a few of the marks
with the seasoning and the flavor.
Let's take a look at desserts.
We're going head-to-head again.
This time, battle stone fruit.
[Andrea] The first chef brought us a tasty dessert,
-really well executed. -The cake part of it was real good,
but for me, the second one was better.
I was digging it.
Well, judges, we had two incredible feasts
from two fantastic chefs in the arena this evening.
And this one could go either way.
[Nicole] I really think I have a winning feast
because my feast is definitely something I would like to eat.
And I think you cook best with things that you're passionate about.
[Samantha] I feel proud of the dishes that I put out
I definitely brought my personality to this Feast of Fire.
Chefs, both of your beef lover's feasts
were very impressive and absolute pleasures to ea
Thank you very much.
[judges applauding]
As you know, these feasts were tasted blind.
In the first feast, we love the Denver steak carpaccio.
We thought it was packed full of flavor and very inspired.
In the second feast, we loved the hanger steak with the charred vegetables
We thought the cook on the steak was spot on.
Chefs, we have made our decision.
And although both of your beef lover's feasts
were spectacular, memorable meals,
there can only be one winner.
Tonight's winning feast is...
...the first feast with the flank steak
and Denver steak carpaccio.
[all applauding]
-Congratulations, chef. -Thank you.
Congratulations, chef Nicole,
you have successfully defended your Fire Masters title.
Well done.
I am so happy.
-Good job. -[Samantha] Beautiful. Thank you, chef.
Thank you.
[Nicole] I'm really proud of chef Samantha too.
This is her first competition ever.
And congratulations chef Samantha,
we see big things for you in your future,
and you should be very proud of what you accomplished here today.
Thank you, chef.
I'm feeling good. I'm feeling tired but happy and proud.
Even though I'm not walking out of here
a Fire Masters champion, I'm still the winner.
-You did an amazing job today. -[Samantha] Thank you.
[Samantha] It was an amazing experience,
and I can't believe I got this opportunity.
I'm blessed.
And on my first competition, you guys.
-[all laughing] -[Kevin] There we go, that's it.
[Nicole] Not, it's... No, that's amazing.